Front edge of Hurricane Gonzalo moves onto Bermuda

An image of Gonzalo taken from the International Space Station shows the hurricane's strength.

An image of Gonzalo taken from the International Space Station...

HAMILTON, Bermuda — The leading edge of Hurricane Gonzalo moved onto this British territory Friday night, pounding Bermudans with fierce wind and heavy surf as a powerful Category 2 storm that could raise coastal seas as much as 10 feet.

The storm's top sustained winds weakened a bit to 110 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Gonzalo was moving north-northeast at 16 mph and was expected to batter Bermuda for hours during the night.

A white haze covered the island as wind uprooted trees and waves slammed into the shore. The Bermuda Weather Service said the eye of Gonzalo would move over parts of the island, bringing a lull, but warned people not to go outside because the most dangerous winds were expected after nightfall.

People disregarded that warning and began venturing outside to do quick damage assessments, noting that porches were destroyed and power lines were downed.

Hurricane-force winds were predicted to resume and batter Bermuda for a total of seven hours, and forecasters said a storm surge would cause significant flooding on an island about one-third the size of Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm's wind speed was likely to slow further as Gonzalo moved away from Bermuda on a track that would take it past Newfoundland and across the Atlantic to Britain and Ireland.